More Questions and Answers With Henry Ian Cusick

Here are a few more of the secrets shared during a recent phone interview with Henry Ian Cusick, the man who plays Desmond on TV's "Lost" and the winner of washingtonpost.com's Lost" Madness contest. Note to "Lost" freaks: He drops a couple of hints about the rest of this season, so pay close attention.

When you received the script for the episode "The Constant," did you fully understand all the time travel stuff, or did you have to read it a few times?

I didn't find it difficult to comprehend or follow. My initial reaction was, how do I play that? I think anyone being in one time all of a sudden and then in another time, and not knowing who people are, that would put you in a mental ward. It would put me in a mental ward. So it was a fine line [for Desmond] to go bananas and not go bananas That was the challenge: To make it believable and not go over the top.

In the recent episodes of "Lost," Desmond and Michael came into contact with each other. Was this the first time they met?

That's an interesting question. Have they or haven't they? In my mind, when Desmond came back to the island and Michael was still on the island, Desmond was pretty drunk and out of it. Whether they met or not is ambiguous but if they had met, Desmond was too out of it [to remember]. Sayid has probably filled him in on what happened.

I know you don't like spoilers, but can you say anything about what we can expect for Desmond in the upcoming new episodes?

Desmond stays on the freighter. And you'll see more shenanigans on the freighter.

Will we see Penny again this season?

That I honestly don't know.

What do you think will ultimately happen to Desmond?

Since he's not one of the Oceanic Six., my thinking is he's on the island. I am guessing there are some survivors and if they have the Oceanic Six that wants to go back, I am guessing some people are alive on the island and maybe Desmond is part of it. Or maybe not. Does he find Penny? I don't know.